A Dreamer's Reality
by Just Jenny
Summary: What happens when an american country girl finds herself under Remus Lupin's care and placed at Hogwarts? -Romance, Mystery, Adventure, Slytherins...
1. A Dreamer's Disclaimer

_**A Dreamer's Reality**_  
**An Original Story by the fan-fiction author: JustGinny**

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**Disclaimer:**

_Harry Potter, Characters, names, and related indicia are trademarks _

_of and copyright Warner Bros. Harry Potter Publishing Rights _

_copyright J.K. Rowling. All Rights Reserved._

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**Copyright:**

_Storyline, all original characters, Fen-Dragons, and ''The Serpent's Labyrinth''_

_all belong to me. If you wish to use the ideas please send me a message asking _

_permission and give me credit for the ideas. Otherwise: _**DON'T TAKE MY STUFF!**

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**Author's note:**

_I do not own Harry Potter or the Harry Potter world, _

_I merely get to play there for a while._

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**Summary:**

_A girl from America finds her way into Remus Lupin's care and he_

_brings her back to Europe with him. What will happen when Harry discovers_

_her as his long lost twin sister ? What is going to happen when a _

_country-raised girl gets stuck in with a load of Europeans? _

_--Romance, Mystery, Betrayal, Action, Adventure,_

_and an odd sort of house unity – thats what._

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**A/N 2:**

_Hey Yall! I'd love it if you drop me a line in my fanfic forum and introduce _

_yourselves! I'd love to chat you up about what you thought of my story!!_  
**_Ciao! -- Jenn _**

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	2. Prologue: 'An American Mystery'

**Prologue**

_The American Mystery_

A gust of night wind blows through the slightly opened, dirty window of a low-rate motel room – caressing the bare back of Remus Lupin with a hot, moist touch. The bird perched on said window frame had been watching the man sleep for nearly a full minute now, and none of its screeching seemed to be rousing him. With a glint of angry frustration in its eye, the small, Black-billed magpie examines the crack in the window and hunkers down, managing – after a moment of difficulty – to squeeze itself through and onto the table below it. The magpie ruffles its feathers to shake loose some of the wetness in them and eyes the sleeping man disdainfully. The disgruntled magpie flutters over to the bed and lands next to Remus's elbow, immediately beginning to peck said elbow with vicious glee.

Within seconds, the bleary-eyed man is cursing and swatting at the attacking bird so enthusiastically that he manages to miss the fact that the edge of the bed is inches away and, with a solid 'thud', falls to the floor. The bird chirps at him in a way closely resembling laughter and bobs its head a few times as Remus sleepily crawls to his knees, leaning on the bed and glaring at the offensive creature.

''Alright, you bloody prat, I'm awake. Now, what have you got for me?'' Remus says, ruffling his hair sleepily. The bird squawks indignantly and, after a hardy glare at Remus, ducks its head to retrieve a small roll of parchment from its leg. Once the parchment is free it flips its head up, tossing the bundle at Remus's face and missing by mere inches as Remus ducks backwards. The bird 'laughs' at him again and Remus grumbles under his breath, snatching up the paper and reading it with the air of someone who already knows what to expect from it. Sure enough, as soon as he reads the letter Remus sighs and tosses it down – scrubbing his hands wearily over his face and reaching for the rumpled t-shirt laying on the floor next to him. ''Another one.'' He says sadly, hearing a reciprocal 'chirr' from the bird still perched on the edge of his bed. Remus looks over at the little bird and smiles wryly. ''Thank you Black-beak. Please let them know I'm coming.'' He says gently. The pretty bird chirps like a little gray soldier in response and flutters over to the window, looking back at Remus expectantly. Remus makes his way over and reaches for the window. ''And next time no pecking.'' He demands with a smile, opening the window only long enough for the little bird to chatter-laugh at him again and zip out into the wet night.

Remus pulls on his lightest jumper and the large brown rain slick that had been given to all the volunteers. There were maybe 60 of them that had come to America this last winter and he had been one of them, eager to help in whatever way he could to fix the damage done by the attacks and perhaps even prevent some of them. In the last months, however, they had all grown more and more disheartened – the Death Eaters had always been a step ahead of them.

Tonight it is a fire, and as Remus slurps into his apperation he steels himself for the horror that awaits him.

o-:-o-:-o-:-o-:-o

As the roar of the fire dies down, the volunteer on duty approaches the new arrival. He had been given a report that a man named Remus Lupin would be passing through his area and he had heard that the man was a werewolf. He had been expecting some half wild ruffian – not this worn down man that moved like he was twice his age. If the reports were right, this Remus Lupin is a good nine years his Junior. The Volunteer man walks up to Lupin warily.

''Lupin? Remus Lupin?'' He asks, appraising the young man in front of him. The sandy-haired man gives a slightly forced smile and nods.

''Thats me. What have we got here?'' Remus asks. The man nods and holds out his hand to be shook

''Alex Bale. Pleased to meet you – though I wish it were under better circumstances. We've got your typical attack: raid, torture the non-magicals and torch the evidence. Luckily we were able to play it off as a downed power line in all this damn rain so the Muggle authorities didn't ask to many questions but I did have to obliviate a few of the neighbors. That damned mark of theirs is a friggin nuisance! How do you put up with these bastards where you come from?'' Remus smiles grimly.

''They are not quite as bold in England.'' He says turning back to the fire. ''Our law enforcement keeps a slightly more efficient rein on the attacks there... because of sheer numbers I'm sure. Our government has been at this a while longer as well, so we've learned a few tricks.'' He sighs. ''What is the report so far? Still no survivors?''

''Nope.'' Alex says, shaking his head sadly. ''We found one of the bastards' bodies in a down-stairs apartment though. Had a butter knife through his throat. No idea what happened to the person that did it though. They most likely got caught up by one of the punk's buddies since the apartment was at the back of the building. They would have had to run toward the fire to get away.'' Remus nods sadly.

''Alright. Lets sit down and get the official work done with before tackling clean up with the muggles.'' Alex shrugs.

''Yeah, Ok.'' Alex says, stepping over to his truck to grab his clipboard. As he digs for a pencil in the bag sitting on the edge of the old pick-up another man comes running up.

''Hey! Bale! We've got a runner!'' the man yelps breathlessly, resting his hands on his knees as he catches his breath. Remus cringes at the smell of blood and sweat and smoke wafting from the man.

''Where, Jacob?'' Alex says, pulling his head from the bag. The man points.

''The woods. It looked like a girl and she was some kinda torn up, let me tell you. She's definitely been in there.'' The new arrival lifts his chin at the smoldering building. Remus turns and, without waiting for the others, streaks off in the direction the man came from – a bubble of reluctant hope in his chest.

At the edge of the forest Remus stops and closes his eyes, exhaling all the breath in his lungs and pausing briefly before slowly inhaling the heavy night air. When he fills his lungs to capacity he stops and opens his, now, yellow tinted eyes and turns his head slightly to the left. He speaks to the two men running up on him.

''Let me go alone.'' He says, noting the flinch both men had given at the sight of his unusual eyes. The man called Jacob starts forward in protest but Alex puts a hand out to stop him, giving Remus an understanding nod. Remus nods back and tears off into the wood – knowing he must hurry if he wants to catch her before the rain washes away her scent.

Far ahead on the trail, the girl stumbles through a thick patch of bushes, hoping to loose them. She doesn't know why they came for her – just that she had killed one of them – and now they're chasing her into the park. The sickening shock of what she had done – the feel of the kitchen knife slicing into the soft flesh of his throat... the burning hot blood that had spewed into her face – her mouth – her eyes and hair and clothes! She coughs out a sickened sob and chokes on the vomit rising in her throat. Her body forces her to slow just long enough to empty her stomach, the contents splattering across her bluejeans before hitting the leaf-covered ground, and she is running again, paying no heed to the number of times she falls or the number of cuts, bruises, and scratches she collects.

With a sickening lurch of fear she realizes that there are footsteps much faster and louder than her own close behind her. She whimpers and frantically dodges to her right, plunging through a wall of branches and vine-like plants in order to confuse them. She glances over her shoulder to assess how far they are – and falls head first down a steep embankment.

Remus dives through the brush just in time to see his pray go flying to the ground – tumbling down a hill that ends at the bank of a rocky creek. His heart skips a beat when he sees her head come down hard on a large stone and he plunges after her – his wolf instincts keeping him from tumbling down himself.

Still, despite his inherent grace, he skitters down the last few feet and splashes into the water – grabbing for the unconscious girl and pulling her face out of the shallows. He quickly checks her breathing and heartbeat before letting out a sigh of relief and hoisting the dripping girl into his arms. As he crawls carefully up the embankment with the girl, he hears more footsteps and hunkers down behind the hill, taking a deep breath to scent out the sound.

Over the edge of the hill comes Alex and Jacob wands out and ready. Remus sighs and nods at them as they approach.

''She fell into the creek.'' He says, hoisting her into a more comfortable position. ''She may have broken bones or a concussion. We need to get her to a bed somewhere.'' He adds, letting Alex move his hands over her – a deep look of concentration on his face and his eyes closed. Remus had been warned of this. Alex is one of the coven masters – a natural magic practicer. The only reason he and Jacob had agreed to carry wands is that the bad guys would be carrying the same... these 'Death Eaters' as they had been called. As Alex touches the girl's forehead he frowns darkly.

''Definitely concussed. Seems like she's got a crack in that head of hers... The bones are very weak... abnormally so.'' He says, opening his eyes and frowning down at the girl. ''I'll need help to do more extensive probing.'' He turns to his companion – Jacob, from before. ''Go get Fenrope and Smith. We'll need the power and it'll be good to have a woman's touch.'' He says, earning a nod from Jacob before the man scrambles back up the bank. Alex and Remus carefully move the girl into a safer position and after a brief consultation they decide to joint-apperate her to Alex's home. Alex hadn't apperated for a long time before the Europeans arrived but in the last several months he had received more than enough practice.

When the trio arrive at their destination they move the girl to the wide coffee-table sitting in the middle of the floor and Remus tucks one of the sofa-pillows under her head.

''It will be a few minutes before Smith and Fenny get here. I'll go handle things at the apartment fire if you'll watch the girl until they get there.'' Alex says, grabbing a spare shirt to change into – the one he is currently wearing is covered in blood and muck and whatever else had been covering the girl. ''I'll need your help as soon as you can come though.'' he adds switching out his mucky clothes. Remus nods absently and continues waving his wand over the girl. The best he could do is the few things he had learned the days after his full moon transformations when he had no medical aid. Alex's friends had better arrive quickly...

Several minutes after the 'crack' of Alex's apperation had faded away, there comes a quick knock on the door and it opens before Remus can even stand fully. Luckily it is Jacob – with another man and a soft-faced woman following close behind him. Remus greets them.

''Alex went to tally things up at the fire.'' He tells them, pressing his lips and glancing anxiously at the girl on the table. The three new arrivals nod and make their way around the coffee table – kneeling in a carefully spaced circle around her as if it were the natural way of sitting. Remus thinks this is most likely because, for them, it is. ''Can you help her?'' Remus asks, still breathing heavily. The woman of the group pets the girl's forehead and looks sympathetically up at Remus.

''We'll have to wait for Alex – and we'll need your help to finish the circle, but I think everything will be okay.'' She looks down at the girl and frowns. ''She should be cleaned up soon though. We need to reserve our strength for her head injury but most of the rest of her problems can be solved with good old fashioned first-aid.'' The woman looks up at Remus again. ''My name is Fenrope, by the way. Fenny for short.'' She says, offering her hand. Remus smiles curtly and grasps her hand.

''Remus Lupin, from England. I'm one of the Europeans they sent to help with the attacks.'' He says, nodding once. The other wizard glares grumpily up at him.

''Fat lot of help y'all have been. We lost five more families just last week.'' He says angrily. Fenny puts a gentle hand on his arm.

''Johnathan, we're all upset. Don't let your anger influence your magic.'' She warns. Remus fidgets.

''I'm sorry, but Alex needs me on site. Will you three be alright with her?'' Remus asks, squirming uncomfortably. Fenny glances at him.

''We'll be fine here for a while but you and Alex need to hurry.'' Fenny says. ''The sooner we get this girl patched up the less likely she'll have permanent damage.'' Remus nods and stands quickly, apperating into the woods he had left not fifteen minutes earlier.

When he opens his eyes again he sees a huddle of men and singles Alex out. He hurries over to them.

''How can I help, Alex?'' he says, earning a meaningful nod of greeting from Alex.

''You can help me with clean up on the bottom levels, Lupin. The firemen have deemed a few of the rooms safe for search. Not that we expect much.'' Alex says, shuffling the others off to their various tasks. Remus takes a step closer to Alex and they lean in so their voices won't carry.

''Your friends have asked us to hurry, but the girl is stable for the moment.'' Remus says quickly. Alex nods.

''I thought we might salvage what we can of the girl's apartment, see if there is any family there or items that might have survived. I don't think we'll find much but there's also the body of that Death Eater to be looked at.'' Alex says, leading Remus quickly toward the apartment where they had guessed the girl lived. Remus nods.

''The site will be closed off by the police for at least another three days. Perhaps when the girl wakes we can bring her to look through the apartment as well... in case we miss anything she may have hidden. We may want to hold off the majority of our search until then and only look for the necessities for now.'' Remus suggests as they climb over rubble. Alex nods.

''Thats a good idea. If Fenny says we need to hurry then we really should. I finished up my paperwork while I was waiting for you. You can finish yours later right? All you need is my reports?''

''Yes.'' Remus says. ''That will be just fine.''

As they crawl deeper in the smoky ruin Remus is ambushed by the thick, heady smell of burned blood and flesh. He staggers slightly and pulls the collar of his slightly damp jumper over his nose. Alex grimaces back at him in what can be assumed is a forced smile.

''Nasty ain't it? I've nearly gotten used to it myself. Seems fire is their favorite way to cover their tracks in the southern states.'' Alex says, leading Remus to the corner of the apartment meant to be the dining room. They stoop over the body and Remus uses his wand to levitate the knife out of the Death Eater's throat. He carefully leans forward and sniffs it three times before letting out a very canine sneeze.

''The girl definitely touched it.'' He says, allowing Alex to seal the knife in a clear plastic bag. Remus looks around. ''And, I'd say she lives here alone except - '' Remus stand and furrows his brow, sniffing the air lightly to keep from choking. Alex looks up at him.

''Except what?'' He asks, tucking the bag away in a satchel he had grabbed from the truck. Remus shakes his head.

''I don't know. The smoke is still too thick.'' Remus says, turning back to Alex. Alex nods.

''Lets get to salvaging, then.'' Alex says, standing and brushing himself off. Remus agrees and they begin sorting through the wreckage.

There isn't much to sort through. The girl had obviously been living a sparse life – with only the chair and TV and bookshelf is the living room and a Dining table next to the body of the Death Eater, now coated in blood. Alex and Remus make their way slowly through these rooms anyway, intent on not missing anything that can be salvaged. Remus makes his way over to the girls bathroom and peeks around. Everything is covered in a layer of dark gray soot and the shower curtain is half melted off the rod. On the counter lay a jumbled mass of burned and melted things indistinguishable from each other. In the thickest part of them however is a glint of shiny white. Remus pauses and reaches for the metal tentatively tapping it to test for heat. What he finds shocks him. The white metal is actually cool to the touch. He reaches for the object again and, ignoring the heat of the mass around it, begins tugging it out. After a few moments of working the object out of the mass Remus pulls out his wand, carefully using it to cut away at the blackened plastic around it. After a few seconds the white thing slips from its would-be grave and into Remus's hand, glinting in the barely existent light filtering in through the open door. Remus smiles as he examines it. It seems none of the plastic had stuck to the piece and it doesn't seem to be damaged at all.

''Remus! I think I've found something.'' Comes Alex's call from the next room. Remus tucks the intricate hair comb away in his pocket and follows the voice into the girl's bedroom. ''Here.'' Alex says, waving his arm out the closet door. Remus goes to him. ''It's too hot to touch. How do you do that floaty thing y'all do?'' He says, pointing to a medium sized metal box sitting under a pile of rubble from the fallen shelf it had been on. Remus whips out his wand and levitates the box over to the half burned bed in the corner of the bedroom. With another flick of his wand the box cools down enough to open and he carefully pries the latch open. It had melted slightly around the edges but after a moment Remus's extra strength wins out. Inside the box lay a myriad of tiny trinkets and stacks of photographs. A few of the things closest to the sides of the box are slightly melted or singed but the majority of the items are intact. Remus carefully closes the box and hands it to Alex for him to bring it into the front room.

As Remus turns back toward the closet he catches a whisper of a scent and moves swiftly back to where they had found the box. After a quick perusal of the tiny niche he spots a tiny face staring out at him from under a pile of rubble. It's eyes are wide and fear-filled and Remus twitches when he hears a tiny plaintive mew coming from the tiny mouth. He makes his way carefully over the rubble blocking the room and begins shifting the boards and jumble of unidentifiable wreckage off the tiny cat's hiding place. When the cat struggles out of the mess and attempts to skip past him Remus grabs it up and cradles it to his chest with soft cooing and gentle stroking of the cat's side.

''Hello, little one. I bet your mummy's going to miss you when she wakes up.'' He says, keeping a tight hold on the creature as it struggles desperately to get away. It's fur is singed badly and it seems to have a few cuts here and there where it was trapped under the rubble. When it mews to be let go Remus hears a rough sound from its throat meaning smoke damage. Remus coos to it again and slips out of the room. With a brief explanation to Alex, he carries the cat out to the truck and slips inside where the cat cannot get away. He takes a few moments to heal the cat's wounds where it has hidden itself on the floorboards and leaves the poor creature in a trembling heap there as he heads back in to finish their job. Alex meets him half way, carrying the box of pictures and trinkets they had found in the girl's closet.

''We're taking to long. Fenny's going to be furious if we don't get back soon.'' he says, dropping the metal case in the bed of the truck. ''It's pretty obvious she lived alone and if there were any other bodies in there we would have found them by now. Lets get back and worry about the rest when the girl wakes up.'' He says, opening the truck door and hopping in. Remus gets in a little more carefully so as not to step on the kitten and they head for Alex's home.

The ride back to Alex's home is silent and interrupted only by a quick stop at a nearby store to buy some things for the kitten. When they pull up to Alex's garage Remus hands the box of trinkets to Alex and scoops up the cat and cat-groceries himself. The tiny animal is stiff with fear and trembling as he tucks it under his parka and carries it into the house. Inside, Alex points him in the direction of the guest room and heads for the living room to join the others.

Remus sweeps into the living room moments later and settles down at the Coffee table where the girl still lays. As the others deliberate he carefully begins healing the young girl's wounds with his wand. She doesn't look old enough to be on her own... she barely looks seventeen. But they hadn't found any indication of anyone else living with her in the apartment.

''What are you doing?'' Fenny asks, looking alarmed. Remus stops and looks up.

''Cleaning the girl up.'' He replies. ''I'm surprised you haven't been healing the girl while we were gone.'' Fenny shakes her head and gently grabs his wrist.

''We have to save our magic to heal her concussion first. We already barely have enough people as it is.'' She explains to him. Remus hesitantly lowers his arm.

''This girl is the only survivor we've had in the last six months. I don't want another six months of looking for another one.'' Remus says unhappily. Fenny nods.

''I understand. But I want you to understand this – if we don't have enough magic to fix her head, the interrupted healing process could leave her brain-dead as well. She is no use whole in body if she isn't whole in mind.'' Fenny says firmly.

For several long minutes the room falls under a blanket of silence. Fenrope seems to have sunk back into a meditative trance and Jacob and Smith are whispering to each other about the attack. Alex returns from somewhere in the direction of the kitchen and kneels next to Fenrope.

''What was that about? Fenny sounded upset.'' Alex says. Remus blushes slightly.

''I was trying to heal some of our patients wounds and it upset Fenrope. She says we're not supposed to do magic yet.'' Remus says. Alex nods.

''That is best.'' Alex replies. ''We probably shouldn't have even done the little bit of magic we did at the apartments. We'll need all of our magical reserves for a delicate injury like this. Fenny is good with mind-healing but even she needs nearly all her magical reserves for a small injury.''

Suddenly, the lady in question opens her eyes and unfolds her legs, turning to Alex. ''Lets start.'' She says firmly, her eyes flashing with some unseen power. Alex smiles at her and quickly moves over to her left side. He beckons Remus.

''Remus, you come sit to my right. You are the weakest link of natural magic, so you will need my full strength to pass through you in order to be strong enough.'' Remus frowns uncertainly but moves to sit next to Alex. Alex rests a hand on Fenny's low-back and Smith takes up a place on her right. After all five of them are settled around their survivor, Fenny reaches down and gently grasps the girl's head between her hands. As she closes her eyes, Remus hears Alex gasp. Then, Remus himself gasps as he is suddenly filled with a bone chilling wash of magic. He tightens his grip on Jacob's hand and feels that man gasp also. Then Smith, then Fenny. When the magical rush comes around a second time Remus shivers. This time it is like fire in his bones, and he feels his head throb as if he had been knocked sideways by a giant. He hears Smith groan and a third wash of magic comes through the circle. This time Remus feels suffocated, like his head is being crushed between two thick cushions. And again, the wash of magic swirls though the line, like cold again. As they sit in their magic circle Remus begins loosing track of the rounds of magic. First they had grown worse, crescendoing in a violent fire that had nearly made both Alex and him scream before finally softening into a heavy warmth – like having to many blankets in the summertime.

A short time after the softening of the magical rounds, Remus hears Alex let out a soft gasp and feels him let go of his hand. Remus opens his eyes, disoriented by the fact that he doesn't remember ever closing them. He looks over at Alex and sees him and Smith cradling Fenny to the ground, setting her head on another sofa pillow. She is shaky – obviously weakened – but she is awake. Remus turns shakily to help them.

''Are you alright?'' He asks with a waver in his voice. Fenny looks over at him with a small smile.

''I'll be fine.'' She says. ''And so will the girl. She will sleep for a day so I can rest and I'll be able to tidy things up a bit.'' She says, her eyes fluttering for a moment. Alex strokes the hair from her face in a familiar gesture. Remus frowns in confusion.

''What do you mean 'tidy things up', Fenrope?'' He asks, helping Alex move her into a comfortable position. He notices absently that all of them are shaking as if with palsy. Fenny smiles at him.

''Her mind is a disaster area.'' She says, earning a thoroughly confused look from Remus. ''I have a rare talent.'' She explains, ''An ability that I learned when I was very small. Its called mind weaving. My mother taught me and her father taught her. It's the ability to look into someone's mind and reconnect memories and emotions that have been damaged. Like mending a quilt or an embroidery piece. So many little stitches.'' She says, starting to act a little loopy. Remus can see the concern in Alex's eyes. ''It takes so much energy though.'' She says, lolling her head to the side. Alex shushes her and strokes her face.

''Sleep, Fenny. Sleep.'' He tells her, earning a smile from her as she looses consciousness. He turns back to the group and reaches for the girl, causing Remus to lunge forward to assist. Smith crawls over to the couch grumpily.

''What I don't get is why the girl ended up that bad off in the first place. She must have a skull made of paper to get that just from a little tumble.'' Smith says, laying out on the sofa. Alex and Remus give up trying to move the girl safely for now – shaking too hard to carry her weight.

''From what I could tell when I first examined her she does have abnormally soft bones in her skull.'' Alex says. ''And there may have been previous injury to her that we don't know about. One of these Death Eaters may have hit her or thrown her in such away that she already had hit her head.'' Alex points out, leaning up against the section of sofa closest to Smith's head. ''We'll all rest for a while before moving the girl up to my spare room. She can stay there with Fenny to watch over her for the night. In the morning we should be able to talk to her...'' Alex sighs.

o-:-o-:-o-:-o-:-o

After half an hour's rest the men moved the two sleeping women to Alex's second bedroom, placing them carefully on the simply blanketed king size bed there. The men parted for the night and promised to meet up the next day to check in on the girl. Remus went back to his motel room and slept fitfully.

o-:-o-:-o-:-o-:-o

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